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Worried families calling Arlington Cemetery about mix-ups

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 17:01:00 +0000

Arlington National Cemetery is getting a steady stream of phone calls from families worried that the remains of their loved ones may have been misidentified or misplaced. Spokeswoman Kaitlin Horst says that 100 people phoned in the first two hours Friday, after the historic burial ground opened a special call center for families of the 300,000 military veterans, war casualties and other dignitaries buried there.

The Army announced Thursday that an investigation found potentially hundreds of remains may be unidentified or misidentified due to poor management and record keeping at the cemetery. The investigation was sparked by a series of articles in Salon.

The cemetary's phone number is 703-607-8199.

Army admits bodies misidentified at Arlington Cemetery

Thu, 10 Jun 2010 19:07:00 +0000

An Army investigation, sparked by a yearlong Salon investigation, has found that potentially hundreds of remains at Arlington National Cemetery have been misidentified or misplaced, in a scandal marring the reputation of the nation's pre-eminent burial ground for its honored dead since the Civil War.

Army Secretary John McHugh announced Thursday that the cemetery's two civilian leaders would be forced to step aside, and he appointed a new chief to conduct a more thorough investigation to examine the graves and sort out the mix-up.

"I deeply apologize to the families of the honored fallen resting in that hallowed ground who may now question the care afforded to their loved ones," McHugh told a Pentagon news conference.

Arlington National Cemetery is considered among the nation's most hallowed burial sites, with more than 300,000 people buried there with military honors. An average of 30 funerals are conducted there every day.

Among those buried at the cemetery are troops killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well service members from past conflicts dating back to the Civil War.

Reports: Top officials involved in Arlington Cemetery case to be fired

Thu, 10 Jun 2010 17:11:00 +0000

A yearlong investigation by Salon.com into questionable management at Arlington National Cemetery is coming to a head today, as two top officials are expected to be fired.

Army Secretary John McHugh is set to release on Thursday the results of an investigation of Arlington that officials say found problems with keeping track of some burials. Various news outlets are also reporting that McHugh is replacing Arlington National's superintendent, John Metzler, and his deputy, Thurman Higgenbotham, who, as Salon had previously reported, had reportedly illegally hacked into the computer files of a former Arlington employee.